I don't want to sound as if I'm making fun of your computer skills, Bob, but Microsoft introduced the Alt-Tab key combination when they released Windows 3.1.
That was in early 1992. The first George Bush was still Prez.
Key part? They named the bill the "card check bill." Big loss for the UAW.
Lear and the UAW are just about patched up. (Reuters)
Out in California:
"NUMMI’s collapse confirms what industry insiders have known for years: That NUMMI was a political arrangement between the two auto giants to give Toyota cover from protectionists by hiring UAW labor while giving GM exposure to Toyota management methods. Now that both companies are bleeding recession red, NUMMI is a luxury they can no longer afford."
The pols are pushing a tax exemption to try to save NUMMI - “We’re all very, very hopeful,” said Veronica Morgan at the United Auto Workers union hall. “In California everybody would love to have a Prius, we drive so much. So we’re really excited and hopeful that something will happen over at NUMMI and that we do get the car.”
Toyota is expected to make a decision by the end of July, according to Fremont city officials. Toyota’s contract with the UAW expires on August 8." KCBS
Maybe they'll blow up the factory (a threat by French auto workers - AutoObserver).
When I click Windows-D, "Dodge" shows up (courtesy of my autohotkey proggie :shades: ).
Windows 7 overrides my Windows-Z macro and logs me off my computer though. It's supposed to flop "Chrysler" up (Z for Dr. Z - that's how old my macros are). Or maybe it's trying to tell me something.
I'm afraid to think what would happen to Bob if we got him started on macros.
Is the UAW responsible for screwing Camaros together? The laundry list doesn't sound like it's just a supplier issue.
The laundry list doesn't sound like it's just a supplier issue.
That is an incredibly long list of items. In this day and age, majority of those problems should not be present. Hasn't GM learned from the past and applied?
Would not have even had these problems on a 68 Camaro, 40 years ago.
all those Windows tips...I never knew they existed, even going back to Windows 3.1 (and 3.11)...where did you learn all that stuff???
All I knew was Ctrl-Alt-Delete would shut it down (and half the time that doesn't do anything at all to my computer), and Ctrl-P would print a document...that's it...no, wait...Shift-F7 would center the cursor for the caption of a lawsuit...
Maybe there is more to Windows that I knew, eh???... :P
Steve: what's a macro???...isn't that a special close-up lens for a camera???
REMEMBER: go easy on me, I'm not smart, I'm a liar lawyer
With a macro, you can just hit a hot key combination instead of having to type out "your obedient servant" all the time, not to mention all the boilerplate you must type out over and over (oh, right, you bill by the hour - nevermind). :shades:
Go easy on our resident Lawyer, he is a rare breed. A conservative lawyer is about 1 in 100,000 would be my guess.
Where are all the pro UAW guys anyway? DD not here defending the 2500 UAW idiots in DFW that went on strike over a month ago against Bell Helicopters. There is NO defense for that kind of ignorance. Even the UAW leaders were against the strike.
Since the strike began, Bell has brought in about 1,000 temporary workers to its parts factories in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Fort Worth-based company has said no deliveries to customers, including the military, have been delayed.
But tensions between Bell and the union seem to be mounting. In a recent letter to the union, a Bell official alleged "numerous reports" of striking workers violating a state law that bans obscene or threatening language and blocking a property's entrance or exit.
So Bell has learned it can do the job with 1000 temps that took 2500 UAW workers. Sounds about par for the course. One note of sympathy for the few UAW workers that did not want to strike. They are going to be permanently unemployed for not crossing the picket lines. In this economic climate they are in deep trouble even in TX where jobs are still available.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Thousands of jobless Pennsylvanians are joining the growing ranks of people around the country who are exhausting unemployment benefits, as some experts worry about another blow to a stumbling economy.
The state Department of Labor and Industry said between 20,000 and 25,000 Pennsylvanians exhausted their jobless benefits in the week that ended Saturday, the first big wave of Pennsylvanians to do so.
Around the country, the number of people exhausting their benefits is piling up. By the end of September, more than 500,000 people will exhaust their benefits checks, with the biggest groups in Pennsylvania, California and Texas, according to estimates by the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group for low-wage workers based in New York City.
That number will nearly triple by the end of the year, the group said.
Economist Mark Price of the Harrisburg-based Keystone Research Center, which is affiliated with organized labor, said the loss of that spending money in such a large quantity is likely to force businesses to lay off employees, deepening the economic doldrums.
"As those people stop spending, it will mean businesses have less income and they'll start cutting back workers or hours," Price said. "We're still in a situation that it's not clear we've hit bottom, and this is going to push us further down."
As part of the federal stimulus law, states can offer an extra 20 weeks in federally funded benefits. Most states have accepted the offer, although the extended benefit is triggered by a state's unemployment rate and not all states have met the criteria to offer it.
Many unemployed Pennsylvanians are currently eligible for up to 72 weeks of benefits, including 13 from the stimulus law.
Legislation under consideration in the state Senate would add seven weeks of eligibility, although the state will not officially meet the criteria to offer that benefit until August. That's when the federal government is expected to certify that Pennsylvania's three-month average unemployment rate is at least 8 percent, officials said.
The bill overwhelmingly passed the Democratic-controlled House on July 7, with just one "no" vote. The Senate's majority Republicans, however, have not said whether they support the extension because of the cost to the state and local governments.
Under the extension, the federal government picks up the cost of the benefits for people laid off by private-sector employers. State and local governments foot the bill for their own ex-employees.
Senate Labor & Industry Committee Chairman John Gordner, R-Columbia, said he is seeking responses from the administration of Gov. Ed Rendell, Philadelphia, Allegheny County and representatives of local governments to determine how much support exists for the bill.
Rendell, a Democrat, supports it, as does Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who is grappling with a severe cash shortage, said passage of the bill will cost the state's largest city $375,000. But, he does not oppose it because the federal extension will mean $31 million in benefits to more than 10,000 people in the city, he wrote in a letter to senators.
As a sole provider, with a wife and three children Randy Spivey says that eats up the $10,000 raise. He says, "I would go from my cost paying 80 dollars a month to 300 a month."
Producing parts for the V 22 Osprey is the largest government project here. Final Assembly is done in Canada and Amarillo where the positions are not unionized. Bell Helicopter says it has enough parts to get them through the end of 2009 and production will be largely unaffected.
Bell Helicopter would not go on camera today, only saying they are currently hiring. UAW Local 218 says members are not worried because it won't be that easy to find qualified workers.
Union Chairman Tom Wells says, "You're just not going to go out in the street in find somebody who knows how to bond the wings on a V 22 it ain't going to happen."
Carolyn Bowen says, "I'm not worried. I just heard there were two people in there laying up parts or trying to so in my department that's what I heard." And usually there's how many? She replies, "hmmm, I'd say probably 50." Members say they'll be out here as long as it takes.
"With a macro, you can just hit a hot key combination instead of having to type out "your obedient servant" all the time, not to mention all the boilerplate you must type out over and over (oh, right, you bill by the hour - nevermind)"... quick...what can I do to outlaw macros???...does anyone else besides you know that macros exist???...I assume that nobody in the LEGAL profession knows this...something that might increase our productivity???...isn't that like...gasp...changing UAW work rules on the American assembly line???...what will I do without my $35/hour floorsweeper (plus benefits???)...what will I do with less hours to bill???...HELP???
"Go easy on our resident Lawyer, he is a rare breed. A conservative lawyer is about 1 in 100,000 would be my guess"...thanks, gagrice, I need all the defense I can get...you see, I have been of this political mind since high school, because it makes so much capitalistic sense, and, growing up in the auto trade and then living in Detroit, just hammeed home to me how a ridiculous union (UAW) will ruin an industry...OR, as I like to say...I was a normal person before I became a lawyer, so all this ABA liberal crap (pro-union, anti-2nd Amendment, etc) simply disgusts me...
Seems I remember "Senator" Obama promising the jobs would return to Pennsylvania, Michigan and other highly union states. Of course he was wanting that union vote.
In a recent speech "President" Obama said (with that stern look) that many of those jobs are gone forever.
Looks like nothing is really being done to create jobs, as people are loosing them in huge numbers. A million or so since he took office.
Looks like the "Plan" is to continue extending the unemployment until there is simply not any money left. Then print some more, which becomes more worthless..
Meanwhile "Cap n' Trade" and National Health Care", will create raising taxes on small business owners as well as larger companies, forcing them to lay off and/or relocate to other countries. Such as China, which is growing at 7% right now.
Sad thing is that the liberals just can't see the writing on the wall.
> Of course he was wanting that union vote. >In a recent speech "President" Obama said (with that stern look) that many of those jobs are gone forever.
I wonder how long it will take the Union leaders and rank and file to figure out they've been had in all these promises through the last years. Their party has sold them out while soliciting their help to get the party elected.
>Looks like the "Plan" is to continue extending the unemployment until there is simply not any money left. Then print some more, which becomes more worthless. ... Meanwhile "Cap n' Trade" and National Health Care", will create raising taxes on small business owners as well as larger companies, forcing them to lay off and/or relocate to other countries.
The party has been in power since 2006. Look at all that has gone wrong. Meanwhile they synthesize a crisis for everything they want to get passed through the spending mill and calling it something different than it really is. Everything is done in a hurry hoping to avoid people knowing about what the costs are and restrictions are by actually _reading_ the bill--what a novel idea, reading before voting on it.
IUE locally is one of the largest IUEs and was shafted in healthcare cuts for retirees because they weren't "taken care of" by the GM/Chrysler restructuring. Another case of their boy promising and not delivering. Even today, IIRC, there's someone kvetching in the local Dayton paper about how they worked to get their Obama (and others) elected and they're ending up with NOTHING.
Meanwhile another editorial page short clip posters reminds them their party has been in power since 2006, so they can't blame the other party and Bush for this mess they've made since 2006.
I see the building blocks here for some pretty funny reality politics for lots of Union workers, IUE AND UAW, after the smoke and platitudes and honeymoon settle and are over.
Huge tax increases coming except on the redistribution folk who will receive more benefits. We'll see how the Union workers react to paying lots more taxes to cover other folks with lesser means and to pay increased local taxes in their state. I hope they saved a big part of those high incomes from the glory years.
You and Kipk have nailed it right on. The UAW and other union sheep have followed the pied piper right over the cliff. The jobs are gone FOREVER pretty well sums it up. And taxing the small business men will not create more jobs.
I know two Union Contractors here in San Diego that are shutting down and taking what they have left before Obama, Pelosi and the state of California extracts it all for cap n trade and health care. Elections 2006 and 2008 will go down in the history books, if they are ever printed, as the biggest mistakes by the voters in our history.
Most small businesses cannot survive with an additional 5%+ tax. Many were not even netting 5% in this economy. These are not rich people. They are hard working individuals that keep a few of our population employed. And the Obama government does not like individuals succeeding.
PS One of the contractors told me his top two union iron workers made more than he did in 2008. He feels like a slave to his own company.
When we loose the war in Afghanistan, the econmy takes a double-dip and China is tops in the Global Economy, that should just about do it. Jimmy C. is #2.
"Sad thing is that the liberals just can't see the writing on the wall"...no, you are quite wrong...they see EXACTLY what they are doing, and they are doing it quite intentionally...they simply want to destroy capitalism so that everyone is equal (where are you, Karl Marx?), and then everyone is dependent on the gov't except the big wigs...
Complain how you want about Republicans, and they certainly aren't perfect, but almost always better than Democrats...
Democrats always appeal to minority interest groups, promising them something over some other group, and always making someone else pay for what they get...unions, racial minorities, gays, radical feminists, Man-Boy love groups, blaming Society (or guns) for crime instead of the person who commits it, etc.whatever they get will come out of my hide, whether a loss of my money or my rights...
Republicans try to lower tax rates (which, BTW, helps everybody, whether self employes, unionized, gay or straight, or whatever...there is no discrimination whan tax rates are reduced), lower capital gains rates (again, any union member selling stock or a home with cap gains will net more money from a Repub admininstration as there is no discrimination on any basis), less gun control (so inner city folks can defend what little they have), make the CRIMINAL responsible for his crime, not "Society at large"...
Even union folks (yes, even UAW idiot cretins) do better under a Repub, except that their striking is frowned upon...considering what their strikes have done to American industry, maybe frowning was a good idea...
How do lower income tax rates discriminate aginst anybody who is not a Republican???...how do lower cap gain tax rates discriminate against anybody not a Republican???
So, why does the UAW/union vote and the black vote always go to the party that does nothing for either one???
The liberal promise everything and let them see what they get...
(Parenthetically, I wish GW never created "No Child" or Medicare Part D, or spent like a drunken sailor...Democrat...John Mccain was Bush Lite...lastly, going into Afghan and Iraq was the right thing, IMO, but once we got Saddam, we should have declared total victory and left Iraq...Bush would have been a hero if he had left with Saddam in custody...)
Interesting that, aside from Iraq, everything has been run by Democrats since 2006 election...why is it all Bush's problems when they had 2 years to "correct" all he did wrong???
Sad thing is that the liberals just can't see the writing on the wall.
Perhaps the promise keepers could bring back the jobs they shipped overseas? Gawd only knows they speak with forked tongues. They act high and mighty only to be caught coveting thy neighbors wife. What a pathetic toe tapping bunch of losers. One could only guess what these log cabin republicans were doing with the Lincoln logs.
Duh, and one wonders who most helped the Messiah get elected?
As I recall the folks in California oped for a GOP governor and that state was broke prior to Obama getting into office. For that matter so were these banking institutions whom are now on the public dole. TARP was a GOP era welfare for the wealthy program. Just get over it, deal with it. Conservativism has managed to bring down capitalism as the greedy pigs, Rush included, are desperate in their final hour to deflect blame.
As I recall the folks in California oped for a GOP governor and that state was broke prior to Obama getting into office.
And what does that have to do with the crazy UAW members that have been on strike against Bell Helicopters for a month? Or Union contractors being forced out of business by over taxation by Democrats in the state and Federal Governments. That is deflecting from the issues being discussed. Yes CA went from a $38 billion surplus to a deficit under a Democrat Gray Davis and a Democrat controlled Legislature. Putting Ahnold in did not help with the same bunch of tax and spenders in the legislature. It did not help that the state has so many Union employees on its payroll they cannot afford to keep going as they are. The Unions in CA are not the only reason the state is in trouble. They do play a significant role in our demise.
You think the auto industry will have an impact when it dies. Hide and watch as the states go bankrupt. Starting with Democrat controlled states like CA and NY.
I heard about this one. I took a step in to Mexico a few months ago seeking lower cost dental treatment. Never been to Mexico before. Turns out the Mexican dentist I chose has two dental offices, the one I went in to was pretty high-tech, complete with a beautiful waterfall inside, and a grand walkup entrance. When I saw my price-list to get my mouth back closer-to-fine, I almost ran back to the other side of the border, Douglas, AZ! I eventually bit the bullet and just got finished up with my treatments, long story short, I paid about $2,500 more in Tucson. But somehow I just feel "safer" with the treatment I got in America.
This picture is funny, but, living as I do in the SE Arizona desert, I see the poverty and the tough times. And in Agua Prieta(where I went to the dentist), Sonora, it is impoverished overall. They do love bright colors on their businesses, though, trust me on that one!
I wonder if GM is going to pursue car building south of the border still. Didn't Fritz Henderson poo-poo that idea? I mean, no overly-paid, lazy UAW workers in GM's Mexican operations, eh?
rocky, how is your job search going? My offer of work for Wackenhut Security is still on, rockford fosgate. Do you still want to take over BO's job and become the President of the U.S.?
"Has he gone to work in a UAW job, preytell?"...I don't see how...is the UAW getting any more members if the automakers are not hiring, and dumping more by the day???
any more UAW members, that I'm aware of. I am just puzzled how that boy can stay away from us for so long. I mean, we are the center of the automotive knowledge universe, and we are a great bunch of guys that look out after each other.
I mean, if I had a means of sending rock some chocolate chip cookies or Hershey's chocolate almond bars I would. See what I'm talking about?
We're a bunch of sweethearts with only rockylee's best interests at heart and he dumps us like Kate and Jon's Jon. Or whatever that guy's name is that had eight kids with Kate and then divorced her. Anyone else think he's a big jerk besides me? What means does this guy have to immediately go out and find a 22 y/o girlfriend right after going through the Big 'D' and I don't mean Dallas, like our bud rockford fosgate?
Some people. Anyone wanna guess what Jon drives? A Hummer? Or a bling-da-blinky-bling Cadidillac Escalado. In black, with a spinning fake yacht anchor on top-center of his Escalado's license plate. :sick:
Oh, we are a talented and diverse bunch a Americano's, aren't we now? :P
I think this is a case of calling a bluff and losing your bet. The UAW is learning the hard way. What will be the UAW total working membership by the end of 2009?
In a short statement on the company website, Bell Helicopter announced Friday afternoon that negotiations between the company and its manufacturers union had been suspended for the weekend. The statement reads: "Bell Helicopter met today with representatives from UAW International Region Five and failed to make any progress in our negotiations. Talks have been suspended with no future meeting date scheduled. Bell Helicopter remains available and committed to reaching a solution that will get everyone back to work."
Earlier in the week, Bell's Senior Vice President and chief human resources officer Martha May, sent the following in a letter to Mr. Tom Wells, UAW Local 218 Chairman
"...On Wednesday, July 1, 2009, we met with the UAW Local 218 Bargaining Committee and the UAW International Representative in an attempt to understand the failed ratification of Bell's last, best, and final offer on June 14, 2009. We have never before received a unanimous recommendation from both the International and Local 218 bargaining committees where the members did not ratify the offer. It is crucial that we understand our employees' concerns in order to come to a fair and equitable agreement that meets the needs of our business and our employees.
I have been upfront in sharing Bell's concerns over the spiraling cost of healthcare. The fact remains that there is a direct correlation between unhealthy lifestyles and the disproportionate rise in healthcare costs for our UAW employees. Our approach remains simple: Raise employee awareness regarding the importance of wellness and implement a health plan design that rewards employees for making good healthcare choices."
Rocky said that he was getting some kind of job as loan officer or similar. Either Rocky, or his new boss, might have made the case for not posting on "any" internet board lest some sensitive loan details be aired. Rocky had a propensity to talk a lot about everything.
But, if he still has urge to talk on car boards, he might be back with a new name.
today, I was listening to Billy Joel's 'Allentown" and one line struck me..."and the union people threw it away"...that was then and this is now...
How anyone can assert the "intelligence" of the UAW and what it stands for, ranks right up there with standing on the deck of the Titanic and thinking the water around your ankles is just a big puddle from heavy rain...
My guess is they bust the UAW on this one. The members will have no one to blame as their leadership and the International told them to ratify. They gave Bell the perfect opportunity to get the noose from around their neck. I would bet the 1000 workers they have hired and are training make about half of what the UAW members were getting. Bell claims to have enough parts stockpiled till the end of 2009. Plenty of time to train grateful new non union people.
You don't always win in a Union negotiation. The UAW has had a free ride since WW2. They are now below the membership right after the war. With a peak of 1.5 million members in 1979. Are some people slow learners or what?
THERE WILL BE A CONTRACT RATIFICATION MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2009 AT WILL ROGERS WEST TEXAS ROOM IN FORT WORTH AT 10AM. DOORS WILL OPEN AT 8:30AM AND MEETING WILL BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 10AM. BE SURE TO BRING YOUR UNION CARD AND PICTURE I.D. WITH YOU!
7/15/2009
Brothers and Sisters,
As we continue our quest for a fair and equitable agreement, we would like to thank you for your solidarity and support toward one another. It is crucial that we stay together and continue to speak as one voice. If one brother or sister falls, it takes a piece of your voice away at the bargaining table.
You the membership have spoken and we will continue to fight to have your voice heard. Please continue to check this website for future updates.
I worked at Bell for a very short time as a supervisor..... My first time experiencing a Union environment (hopefully will be my last).
I have never witnessed such a disconnect between management and employees in my life! Not even close to working for the same goal!
Of 29 personnel that should show up at 7:00 AM for work: there would be 20 on a GOOD day. I asked why nothing is said/done about the employees not showing up on time... and the answer:
"Union worker must accumulate 65 hours worth of "tardiness" before they can be verbally counseled, and over 80 hours worth before it can be formally documented"
(note: sick leave can be taken in hour or maybe half-hour increments so you are not late until all the sick leave is done for the year. Also, the "tardiness" clock is re-set every year).
A local newspaper article today proved interesting. It may also involve IUE which was the labor force for the Moraine Truck Plant but the person complaining about pensions also has connection to IUE management.
Noticing pensions may be cut 40% as PBGC takes them over, and it said $54000 was the max pension for 2009 under PBGC. If that's a cut after 40%, then the origional pension he might be receiving is $90000. It's hard to get by on $90000 per year.
If the pension was $90000, what was his salary at the end of 30 years with Delphi?
It points out in the article he may have to sell his home. So I got curious. The home is valued at $454,000. It's nearly 4000 sq ft.on 5 acres. It only has 2.5 baths. But he bought it in 1990 for $50,000.
What the puff article failed to mention is he also owns another home closer to the old core city in an attractive closein suburb which is valued at $176,000 which he purchased in 1997 for $120000. It still has a mortgage held on it. I'm unable to determine that the $454,000 home has a mortgage.
Somehow I'm not able to get sympathetic about his plight with having to scrimp by on $54000/annum.
Note he was former bargaining chairman for IUE so he probably has connections to supplement his income.
It points out in the article he may have to sell his home. So I got curious. The home is valued at $454,000. It's nearly 4000 sq ft.on 5 acres. It only has 2.5 baths. But he bought it in 1990 for $50,000.
I have a feeling that the $50K is what he paid for the land, and then he had that home custom built after that. I couldn't see a house like that going for $50K, even 19 years ago.
I've gone on Maryland's online property tax database and looked up various assessments and such. Often when you look through previous sales transactions on a newer property, they just show the price of the land, since the house was then built after the land changed ownership.
But yeah, showing that "poor" 59 year old standing out on that lush lawn in front of that sprawling house doesn't draw much sympathy from me, either! I'm not a big fan of slashing retiree benefits, since they worked all those years and made financial decisions based on a contract, an obligation that they would be paid $XXX for putting in XX amount of years, or whatever. The workers held up their end of the bargain, only to have the rules changed and the rug pulled out from under them at the last minute. Now this guy is only 59, and evidently well off, so he'll bounce back. But what about someone in their 70's, who wasn't as high up the totem pole, and doesn't get as big of a pension?
If anything, that article does a big disservice to the Delphi retirees, because it makes it look like they're living high off the hog. I imagine most of them are not nearly as well off as that poor 59 year old with the $454K home.
Comments
That was in early 1992. The first George Bush was still Prez.
Lear and the UAW are just about patched up. (Reuters)
Out in California:
"NUMMI’s collapse confirms what industry insiders have known for years: That NUMMI was a political arrangement between the two auto giants to give Toyota cover from protectionists by hiring UAW labor while giving GM exposure to Toyota management methods. Now that both companies are bleeding recession red, NUMMI is a luxury they can no longer afford."
Toyota breaks with UAW (National Review)
The pols are pushing a tax exemption to try to save NUMMI - “We’re all very, very hopeful,” said Veronica Morgan at the United Auto Workers union hall. “In California everybody would love to have a Prius, we drive so much. So we’re really excited and hopeful that something will happen over at NUMMI and that we do get the car.”
Toyota is expected to make a decision by the end of July, according to Fremont city officials. Toyota’s contract with the UAW expires on August 8." KCBS
Maybe they'll blow up the factory (a threat by French auto workers - AutoObserver).
When you really need to make something go away hit ALT+F4 to close a program.
CTRL+F brings up a search box to do keyword searches on almost any program that views text.
Windows 7 overrides my Windows-Z macro and logs me off my computer though. It's supposed to flop "Chrysler" up (Z for Dr. Z - that's how old my macros are). Or maybe it's trying to tell me something.
I'm afraid to think what would happen to Bob if we got him started on macros.
Is the UAW responsible for screwing Camaros together? The laundry list doesn't sound like it's just a supplier issue.
That is an incredibly long list of items. In this day and age, majority of those problems should not be present. Hasn't GM learned from the past and applied?
Would not have even had these problems on a 68 Camaro, 40 years ago.
That's an insanely long list. Says far more about GM than I would want to think.
But, were rocky still here, he'd point out that this isn't a UAW car but rather a CAW car.
Whew! Close call....
Does that explain the dashboards that aren't level then?
All I knew was Ctrl-Alt-Delete would shut it down (and half the time that doesn't do anything at all to my computer), and Ctrl-P would print a document...that's it...no, wait...Shift-F7 would center the cursor for the caption of a lawsuit...
Maybe there is more to Windows that I knew, eh???... :P
Steve: what's a macro???...isn't that a special close-up lens for a camera???
REMEMBER: go easy on me, I'm not smart, I'm a
liarlawyerWhere are all the pro UAW guys anyway? DD not here defending the 2500 UAW idiots in DFW that went on strike over a month ago against Bell Helicopters. There is NO defense for that kind of ignorance. Even the UAW leaders were against the strike.
Since the strike began, Bell has brought in about 1,000 temporary workers to its parts factories in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Fort Worth-based company has said no deliveries to customers, including the military, have been delayed.
But tensions between Bell and the union seem to be mounting. In a recent letter to the union, a Bell official alleged "numerous reports" of striking workers violating a state law that bans obscene or threatening language and blocking a property's entrance or exit.
So Bell has learned it can do the job with 1000 temps that took 2500 UAW workers. Sounds about par for the course. One note of sympathy for the few UAW workers that did not want to strike. They are going to be permanently unemployed for not crossing the picket lines. In this economic climate they are in deep trouble even in TX where jobs are still available.
By MARC LEVY
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Thousands of jobless Pennsylvanians are joining the growing ranks of people around the country who are exhausting unemployment benefits, as some experts worry about another blow to a stumbling economy.
The state Department of Labor and Industry said between 20,000 and 25,000 Pennsylvanians exhausted their jobless benefits in the week that ended Saturday, the first big wave of Pennsylvanians to do so.
Around the country, the number of people exhausting their benefits is piling up. By the end of September, more than 500,000 people will exhaust their benefits checks, with the biggest groups in Pennsylvania, California and Texas, according to estimates by the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group for low-wage workers based in New York City.
That number will nearly triple by the end of the year, the group said.
Economist Mark Price of the Harrisburg-based Keystone Research Center, which is affiliated with organized labor, said the loss of that spending money in such a large quantity is likely to force businesses to lay off employees, deepening the economic doldrums.
"As those people stop spending, it will mean businesses have less income and they'll start cutting back workers or hours," Price said. "We're still in a situation that it's not clear we've hit bottom, and this is going to push us further down."
As part of the federal stimulus law, states can offer an extra 20 weeks in federally funded benefits. Most states have accepted the offer, although the extended benefit is triggered by a state's unemployment rate and not all states have met the criteria to offer it.
Many unemployed Pennsylvanians are currently eligible for up to 72 weeks of benefits, including 13 from the stimulus law.
Legislation under consideration in the state Senate would add seven weeks of eligibility, although the state will not officially meet the criteria to offer that benefit until August. That's when the federal government is expected to certify that Pennsylvania's three-month average unemployment rate is at least 8 percent, officials said.
The bill overwhelmingly passed the Democratic-controlled House on July 7, with just one "no" vote. The Senate's majority Republicans, however, have not said whether they support the extension because of the cost to the state and local governments.
Under the extension, the federal government picks up the cost of the benefits for people laid off by private-sector employers. State and local governments foot the bill for their own ex-employees.
Senate Labor & Industry Committee Chairman John Gordner, R-Columbia, said he is seeking responses from the administration of Gov. Ed Rendell, Philadelphia, Allegheny County and representatives of local governments to determine how much support exists for the bill.
Rendell, a Democrat, supports it, as does Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who is grappling with a severe cash shortage, said passage of the bill will cost the state's largest city $375,000. But, he does not oppose it because the federal extension will mean $31 million in benefits to more than 10,000 people in the city, he wrote in a letter to senators.
Producing parts for the V 22 Osprey is the largest government project here. Final Assembly is done in Canada and Amarillo where the positions are not unionized. Bell Helicopter says it has enough parts to get them through the end of 2009 and production will be largely unaffected.
Bell Helicopter would not go on camera today, only saying they are currently hiring. UAW Local 218 says members are not worried because it won't be that easy to find qualified workers.
Union Chairman Tom Wells says, "You're just not going to go out in the street in find somebody who knows how to bond the wings on a V 22 it ain't going to happen."
Carolyn Bowen says, "I'm not worried. I just heard there were two people in there laying up parts or trying to so in my department that's what I heard." And usually there's how many? She replies, "hmmm, I'd say probably 50."
Members say they'll be out here as long as it takes.
http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-bell-helicopter-story,0,92197.story
"Go easy on our resident Lawyer, he is a rare breed. A conservative lawyer is about 1 in 100,000 would be my guess"...thanks, gagrice, I need all the defense I can get...you see, I have been of this political mind since high school, because it makes so much capitalistic sense, and, growing up in the auto trade and then living in Detroit, just hammeed home to me how a ridiculous union (UAW) will ruin an industry...OR, as I like to say...I was a normal person before I became a lawyer, so all this ABA liberal crap (pro-union, anti-2nd Amendment, etc) simply disgusts me...
In a recent speech "President" Obama said (with that stern look) that many of those jobs are gone forever.
Looks like nothing is really being done to create jobs, as people are loosing them in huge numbers. A million or so since he took office.
Looks like the "Plan" is to continue extending the unemployment until there is simply not any money left. Then print some more, which becomes more worthless..
Meanwhile "Cap n' Trade" and National Health Care", will create raising taxes on small business owners as well as larger companies, forcing them to lay off and/or relocate to other countries. Such as China, which is growing at 7% right now.
Sad thing is that the liberals just can't see the writing on the wall.
Kip
>In a recent speech "President" Obama said (with that stern look) that many of those jobs are gone forever.
I wonder how long it will take the Union leaders and rank and file to figure out they've been had in all these promises through the last years. Their party has sold them out while soliciting their help to get the party elected.
>Looks like the "Plan" is to continue extending the unemployment until there is simply not any money left. Then print some more, which becomes more worthless. ... Meanwhile "Cap n' Trade" and National Health Care", will create raising taxes on small business owners as well as larger companies, forcing them to lay off and/or relocate to other countries.
The party has been in power since 2006. Look at all that has gone wrong. Meanwhile they synthesize a crisis for everything they want to get passed through the spending mill and calling it something different than it really is. Everything is done in a hurry hoping to avoid people knowing about what the costs are and restrictions are by actually _reading_ the bill--what a novel idea, reading before voting on it.
IUE locally is one of the largest IUEs and was shafted in healthcare cuts for retirees because they weren't "taken care of" by the GM/Chrysler restructuring. Another case of their boy promising and not delivering. Even today, IIRC, there's someone kvetching in the local Dayton paper about how they worked to get their Obama (and others) elected and they're ending up with NOTHING.
Meanwhile another editorial page short clip posters reminds them their party has been in power since 2006, so they can't blame the other party and Bush for this mess they've made since 2006.
I see the building blocks here for some pretty funny reality politics for lots of Union workers, IUE AND UAW, after the smoke and platitudes and honeymoon settle and are over.
Huge tax increases coming except on the redistribution folk who will receive more benefits. We'll see how the Union workers react to paying lots more taxes to cover other folks with lesser means and to pay increased local taxes in their state. I hope they saved a big part of those high incomes from the glory years.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I know two Union Contractors here in San Diego that are shutting down and taking what they have left before Obama, Pelosi and the state of California extracts it all for cap n trade and health care. Elections 2006 and 2008 will go down in the history books, if they are ever printed, as the biggest mistakes by the voters in our history.
Most small businesses cannot survive with an additional 5%+ tax. Many were not even netting 5% in this economy. These are not rich people. They are hard working individuals that keep a few of our population employed. And the Obama government does not like individuals succeeding.
PS
One of the contractors told me his top two union iron workers made more than he did in 2008. He feels like a slave to his own company.
Hmmm, electing Carter will give this a run for the money. History will tell....
Regards,
OW
Complain how you want about Republicans, and they certainly aren't perfect, but almost always better than Democrats...
Democrats always appeal to minority interest groups, promising them something over some other group, and always making someone else pay for what they get...unions, racial minorities, gays, radical feminists, Man-Boy love groups, blaming Society (or guns) for crime instead of the person who commits it, etc.whatever they get will come out of my hide, whether a loss of my money or my rights...
Republicans try to lower tax rates (which, BTW, helps everybody, whether self employes, unionized, gay or straight, or whatever...there is no discrimination whan tax rates are reduced), lower capital gains rates (again, any union member selling stock or a home with cap gains will net more money from a Repub admininstration as there is no discrimination on any basis), less gun control (so inner city folks can defend what little they have), make the CRIMINAL responsible for his crime, not "Society at large"...
Even union folks (yes, even UAW idiot cretins) do better under a Repub, except that their striking is frowned upon...considering what their strikes have done to American industry, maybe frowning was a good idea...
How do lower income tax rates discriminate aginst anybody who is not a Republican???...how do lower cap gain tax rates discriminate against anybody not a Republican???
So, why does the UAW/union vote and the black vote always go to the party that does nothing for either one???
The liberal promise everything and let them see what they get...
(Parenthetically, I wish GW never created "No Child" or Medicare Part D, or spent like a
drunken sailor...Democrat...John Mccain was Bush Lite...lastly, going into Afghan and Iraq was the right thing, IMO, but once we got Saddam, we should have declared total victory and left Iraq...Bush would have been a hero if he had left with Saddam in custody...)Interesting that, aside from Iraq, everything has been run by Democrats since 2006 election...why is it all Bush's problems when they had 2 years to "correct" all he did wrong???
Are Unions/UAW really THAT stupid to see that???
Perhaps the promise keepers could bring back the jobs they shipped overseas? Gawd only knows they speak with forked tongues. They act high and mighty only to be caught coveting thy neighbors wife. What a pathetic toe tapping bunch of losers. One could only guess what these log cabin republicans were doing with the Lincoln logs.
Duh, and one wonders who most helped the Messiah get elected?
Like the time your uncle at the FOMOCO plant put a live turtle in a door panel. Or another one of those urban legends.
Thanks.
And what does that have to do with the crazy UAW members that have been on strike against Bell Helicopters for a month? Or Union contractors being forced out of business by over taxation by Democrats in the state and Federal Governments. That is deflecting from the issues being discussed. Yes CA went from a $38 billion surplus to a deficit under a Democrat Gray Davis and a Democrat controlled Legislature. Putting Ahnold in did not help with the same bunch of tax and spenders in the legislature. It did not help that the state has so many Union employees on its payroll they cannot afford to keep going as they are. The Unions in CA are not the only reason the state is in trouble. They do play a significant role in our demise.
You think the auto industry will have an impact when it dies. Hide and watch as the states go bankrupt. Starting with Democrat controlled states like CA and NY.
What a coincidence! YOU got the car with the turtle shell in it! :P
Could be worse...someone put a real live Mexican in the dashboard of my Granddad's Taurus!
This picture is funny, but, living as I do in the SE Arizona desert, I see the poverty and the tough times. And in Agua Prieta(where I went to the dentist), Sonora, it is impoverished overall. They do love bright colors on their businesses, though, trust me on that one!
I wonder if GM is going to pursue car building south of the border still. Didn't Fritz Henderson poo-poo that idea? I mean, no overly-paid, lazy UAW workers in GM's Mexican operations, eh?
rocky, how is your job search going? My offer of work for Wackenhut Security is still on, rockford fosgate. Do you still want to take over BO's job and become the President of the U.S.?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I'm not doing very well trying to get rockford back on this thread, am I? Has he gone to work in a UAW job, preytell?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I mean, if I had a means of sending rock some chocolate chip cookies or Hershey's chocolate almond bars I would. See what I'm talking about?
We're a bunch of sweethearts with only rockylee's best interests at heart and he dumps us like Kate and Jon's Jon. Or whatever that guy's name is that had eight kids with Kate and then divorced her. Anyone else think he's a big jerk besides me? What means does this guy have to immediately go out and find a 22 y/o girlfriend right after going through the Big 'D' and I don't mean Dallas, like our bud rockford fosgate?
Some people. Anyone wanna guess what Jon drives? A Hummer? Or a bling-da-blinky-bling Cadidillac Escalado. In black, with a spinning fake yacht anchor on top-center of his Escalado's license plate. :sick:
Oh, we are a talented and diverse bunch a Americano's, aren't we now? :P
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
...and speaking of old timers, what happened to '62vetteefp?
In a short statement on the company website, Bell Helicopter announced Friday afternoon that negotiations between the company and its manufacturers union had been suspended for the weekend. The statement reads: "Bell Helicopter met today with representatives from UAW International Region Five and failed to make any progress in our negotiations. Talks have been suspended with no future meeting date scheduled. Bell Helicopter remains available and committed to reaching a solution that will get everyone back to work."
Earlier in the week, Bell's Senior Vice President and chief human resources officer Martha May, sent the following in a letter to Mr. Tom Wells, UAW Local 218 Chairman
"...On Wednesday, July 1, 2009, we met with the UAW Local 218 Bargaining Committee and the UAW International Representative in an attempt to understand the failed ratification of Bell's last, best, and final offer on June 14, 2009. We have never before received a unanimous recommendation from both the International and Local 218 bargaining committees where the members did not ratify the offer. It is crucial that we understand our employees' concerns in order to come to a fair and equitable agreement that meets the needs of our business and our employees.
I have been upfront in sharing Bell's concerns over the spiraling cost of healthcare. The fact remains that there is a direct correlation between unhealthy lifestyles and the disproportionate rise in healthcare costs for our UAW employees. Our approach remains simple: Raise employee awareness regarding the importance of wellness and implement a health plan design that rewards employees for making good healthcare choices."
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=dfd51830-12d0-4a06-9d9a-8675d2- 1e7e97
Rocky said that he was getting some kind of job as loan officer or similar. Either Rocky, or his new boss, might have made the case for not posting on "any" internet board lest some sensitive loan details be aired. Rocky had a propensity to talk a lot about everything.
But, if he still has urge to talk on car boards, he might be back with a new name.
How anyone can assert the "intelligence" of the UAW and what it stands for, ranks right up there with standing on the deck of the Titanic and thinking the water around your ankles is just a big puddle from heavy rain...
You don't always win in a Union negotiation. The UAW has had a free ride since WW2. They are now below the membership right after the war. With a peak of 1.5 million members in 1979. Are some people slow learners or what?
"But they've taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away."
(They crawled because they were too bent over from slaving away in the mines to stand up straight).
The lyric sites sort of take the fun out of misheard lyrics though.
They put lyrics on the Internet???
I think I got some technological catchin' up to do...
7/15/2009
Brothers and Sisters,
As we continue our quest for a fair and equitable agreement, we would like to thank you for your solidarity and support toward one another. It is crucial that we stay together and continue to speak as one voice. If one brother or sister falls, it takes a piece of your voice away at the bargaining table.
You the membership have spoken and we will continue to fight to have your voice heard. Please continue to check this website for future updates.
God Bless this membership.
Your Bargaining Committee
http://unionsong.com/reviews/mol.html
Paycheck probably belonged to ASCAP (that's sort of a union).
"At the Gas Station of Love, I Got the Self Service Pump" (not really country, but Big Al Yankovic. But it could pass as a C&W song title).
"Four on the Floor and a Fifth Under the Seat" is another good one.
Many more (with lyrics that likely would be better misheard).
I have never witnessed such a disconnect between management and employees in my life! Not even close to working for the same goal!
Of 29 personnel that should show up at 7:00 AM for work: there would be 20 on a GOOD day. I asked why nothing is said/done about the employees not showing up on time... and the answer:
"Union worker must accumulate 65 hours worth of "tardiness" before they can be verbally counseled, and over 80 hours worth before it can be formally documented"
(note: sick leave can be taken in hour or maybe half-hour increments so you are not late until all the sick leave is done for the year. Also, the "tardiness" clock is re-set every year).
I wanted to puke!
dayton Daily News article
Noticing pensions may be cut 40% as PBGC takes them over, and it said $54000 was the max pension for 2009 under PBGC. If that's a cut after 40%, then the origional pension he might be receiving is $90000. It's hard to get by on $90000 per year.
If the pension was $90000, what was his salary at the end of 30 years with Delphi?
It points out in the article he may have to sell his home. So I got curious. The home is valued at $454,000. It's nearly 4000 sq ft.on 5 acres. It only has 2.5 baths. But he bought it in 1990 for $50,000.
What the puff article failed to mention is he also owns another home closer to the old core city in an attractive closein suburb which is valued at $176,000 which he purchased in 1997 for $120000. It still has a mortgage held on it. I'm unable to determine that the $454,000 home has a mortgage.
Somehow I'm not able to get sympathetic about his plight with having to scrimp by on $54000/annum.
Note he was former bargaining chairman for IUE so he probably has connections to supplement his income.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I have a feeling that the $50K is what he paid for the land, and then he had that home custom built after that. I couldn't see a house like that going for $50K, even 19 years ago.
I've gone on Maryland's online property tax database and looked up various assessments and such. Often when you look through previous sales transactions on a newer property, they just show the price of the land, since the house was then built after the land changed ownership.
But yeah, showing that "poor" 59 year old standing out on that lush lawn in front of that sprawling house doesn't draw much sympathy from me, either! I'm not a big fan of slashing retiree benefits, since they worked all those years and made financial decisions based on a contract, an obligation that they would be paid $XXX for putting in XX amount of years, or whatever. The workers held up their end of the bargain, only to have the rules changed and the rug pulled out from under them at the last minute. Now this guy is only 59, and evidently well off, so he'll bounce back. But what about someone in their 70's, who wasn't as high up the totem pole, and doesn't get as big of a pension?
If anything, that article does a big disservice to the Delphi retirees, because it makes it look like they're living high off the hog. I imagine most of them are not nearly as well off as that poor 59 year old with the $454K home.